It’s the time of year when the daylight doesn’t last as long as we’d like – and suddenly it’s necessary to attach a beam to the front and rear of your bike.
The good news is that with the right lights you really can keep on riding just as much as you did over summer. High lumen lights can brighten up the roads and trails like car headlights, and they don’t need to cost the earth either.
A new presence on the UK lighting scene, Xeccon have been producing lighting products for years. They have experience creating torches for deep sea divers as well as on and off-road cyclists – they might well be the biggest player you’ve never heard of. Well established globally, Xeccon have a reassuringly good track record of reliability and weather resistance.
The brand’s prototypes are heavily tested: lights go through various simulated conditions, are evaluated and have their specifications tweaked. Every unit is built, checked and sent to the test rooms where they are left running for hours before being boxed and ready to ship.
Now Xeccon have picked up a UK distributor, so we can expect to see their lights appearing on British roads more often. Each light comes with a 12 month warranty – always a good thing to know
We’ve had a look through the range – highlighting five key lights for the autumn/winter season.
Xeccon Zeta 1300R front light
The Zeta models are Xeccon’s most powerful lights. We’ve looked at the details for the 1300R – that’s the base model. There is also a 1600R and incredibly bright 5000R at the top of the range.
This light is created with off-road use in mind – but if you want a brilliant beam for unlit roads it could be up your street. It produces 1300 lumens – which is enough to allow you to ride on country roads or trails almost as though it was daylight.
The shell is robust, and a wireless remote allows you to switch through the output levels easily. You can place the remote anywhere your like, too – keeping it at hand so you can go for an extra bright beam when you need it or turn it down in traffic.
There are four different light levels – and a strobe mode. On the highest output, battery life is at 3.5 hours, progressing to 38 hours when flashing. Charging takes around five hours for full juice.
The Zeta is housed in a compact aluminium body and comes supplied with mounts for handlebars, helmets and action cameras, along with a longer second lead. For most road riding, a bar mounted light with the battery strapped below the toptube of the frame will be the most suitable set-up.
Price: 1300R £99.99 (1600R £139.99, 5000R £189.99)
